MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Moose Jaw Warriors forwards Lynden Lakovic and Brayden Schuurman came up with a handful of big overtime goals during their run to the Western Hockey League championship last season.
So it seems only fitting that the duo would combine for the OT winner in the first full game of the season on Sunday afternoon.
Schuurman hit Lakovic with a perfect pass on a two-on-one with 3:47 left in OT, and the 18-year-old third-year veteran would make no mistake, ripping a shot past Devon Keller to give Team Grey a 4-3 victory over Team Red in the Warriors annual Red-Grey intrasquad game at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
As the score would indicate, it was a hard-fought battle between a pair of teams filled with a balance of rookie and veteran talent, with players on both squads looking to stake their claim to remaining with the club at the close of training camp.
“I thought it went pretty well, the intensity was as high as it’s been all camp, that’s obviously a good thing,” Lakovic said. “We’re just trying to take it day by day and be better every day, so I’m looking forward to it and showing big improvements.”
Lakovic capped the the game with two goals and an assist, while Cole Dupuis and Tyson Schamehorn had Red’s other goals. Connor Schmidt scored twice for Grey, Rohen Guevarra had their other marker.
Jackson Unger got the start for Team Grey and Dimitri Fortin for Team Red, with each returning veteran allowing a single goal over the first half of the game. Micah Davidon played the second half for Red and was the winning netminder, Devon Keller suited up the final period and a half for Grey.
Lakovic was one of the biggest standouts of the afternoon, though, with his presence on the ice noticeable almost every shift. That kind of play will be crucial going forward, especially with the National Hockey League Draft coming up next summer -- and getting an early boost of confidence surely helps.
“It’s massive,” Lakovic said. “Confidence can be the biggest thing and I think I’ve gained a lot of it. With some guys stepping out this season, some guys have to take on bigger roles, including myself, and I think in a game like that you have to try things to gain that confidence. I think I did that well today.”
While intrasquad games are well known for being relatively high-scoring affairs, that wasn’t the case Sunday, in no small part to both teams featuring a host of players very familiar with playing winning, close-checking hockey.
That was no surprise to Lakovic, who saw firsthand the progress everyone on the ice made through their championship run last year.
“I think that whole run last year, even the guys who didn’t play a lot, practicing and playing at that pace, that’s massive for development and I think that showed out there today,” Lakovic said. “Guys have taken a lot of steps, and the development we have from that run and the intensity everyone is playing with is showing really good signs.”
Of couse, the intrasquad game is still just the intrasquad game, and the Warriors will be looking to take another step in a winning direction when they face the Regina Pats in their pre-season opener on Friday, Sept. 6 in Estevan.
“The expectations don’t change for us,” Lakovic said. “We want to continue the winning culture and I think we’re on track for that. We have a lot of returning players, the expectations don’t change and I think we’re going to have another great year.”
